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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

I am trying to get cd's to play on my computer at work. I believe it is running slackware, and I am using KDE. The cdplayer thinks it is playing, but no sound comes out of the headphone jack or the speaker jack (with headphones plugged in). When I go to control panel -> sound & multimedia -> sound system and click test nothing happens.

I have tried starting artsd from the command prompt, and this is what I get:

Please don't be offended if you've tried this, but one of the
most common problems I've seen (and done my self) is to forget
to turn up the volume...In the KDE desktop applications menu
this would be Multimedia -> Kmix and check the levels...
Also if you're running ALSA try alasmixer at the command line, I.E.:
user@host:~$alsamixer

gavin@dev10:~$ alsamixer
alsamixer: function snd_ctl_open failed for default: No such device or address

Also, when I loaded KDE today I got an error saying "Sound server informational message: Error while initializing the sound driver: device: default can't be opened for playback (No such device or address) The sound server will continure, using the null output device.". Under control center when I loaded KDE today under 'Sound System -> Hardware -> Select the audio device' it was set to ALSA, rather than autodetect. When it runs on autodetect I don't get that error.

When I load Kmix from the K menu -> multimedia I get a box which has a pull-down tab labelled "current mixer", but with nothing to select in the pull-down part. Under "Sound Server Control (aRts control tool)" the volume looks like it is all the way up. In the same program if I open the aRts Status window it says "Artsd should run with realtime scheduling but is does not (Is artswrapper suid root?)"

Anyway, if any of this means anything to you, or if there is anything else I can check and get back to you about, please let me know.

And I can't get root access. The company is getting big enough that anyone but the administrator having root access means the administrator (who is also a lead programmer) doesn't have time to do anything but fix other people's mistakes (other people like me, who don't know anything). Aynway, would that make a difference? If I needed root access to use alsaconfig wouldn't it tell me that instead of saying "command not found"?

In ALSA-Configuration.txt it says "To enable ALSA support you need at least to build the kernel with
primary sound card support (CONFIG_SOUND)." Could that have something to do with it?

If I needed root access to use alsaconfig wouldn't it tell me that instead of saying "command not found"?

No. Root has commands and permissions available that a user
doesn't. For instance, try the command "adduser" and the shell won't find it either.

Quote:

ALSA-Configuration.txt it says "To enable ALSA support you need at least to build the kernel with
primary sound card support (CONFIG_SOUND)." Could that have something to do with it?

Yes--without kernel support alsa won't work. It is possible that
sound is not enabled at the kernel level. If so, changing
that requires a kernel recompile. But if your supervisor went
through the trouble to compile a custom kernel without sound,
the only way I know to change that condition without the root
password is to re-install Slackware. But you know, that doesn't
sound like a path for career advancement

You could check the state of sound a few ways. If you go to the
main kde menu, under System you may find KinfoCenter. If it's
there, open it and look under Sound. You should get a list on the
right panel of sound drivers and audio devices etc. You could also
go to the terminal and try:

lsmod | less

This should give you a scrollable list of kernel modules
(including sound, I.E.,snd modules). Oh, and I'm guessing you
already checked to see if a sound card is installed. Unfortunately,
I don't think lspci will work without root privileges
...humm...perhaps a portable CD player's in your future?

But seriously, if you have drivers, modules, and a sound card
installed, there's usually a way to get it all working. Also, I'm
guessing you'd prefer not to ask that lead programmer about it.

So under KInfoCenter -> Sound it says "No information available about the sound card".

And "lsmod | less" shows "soundcore" as a Module.

Anyway, since I'm only here for three weeks I figured there was no point in buying a new discman (I have two that no longer play cds, thank you Disposable North-American Society TM), but I have acquired one from a friend. So thanks for all your help. Anyway, I'm learning how to use this machine better, so it wasn't an entirely useless exercise.

Sorry I couldn't help more but unless someone else has an idea about how to go
forward from here with user permissions I'm at a loss. But for completness, it
seems that dsp0 and you have the group "audio" in common, and sound is enabled in
the kernel. Fyi, the part of my modules list that deals with alsa and sound
looks like this:

The only time I've personally experienced the problem you describe is when the
wrong driver was installed for my sound card. If you want to persue this, and
no one here can help, I've found the audio-users list at